It’s March and all eyes are on the top 10 men’s basketball team, the top 12 women’s basketball team and the number 1 college baseball team. All three of those teams deserve every ounce of praise and respect that the get. They have earned it and we are all very proud of them.
But let’s not overlook what is going on over at the football complex. The Cards just finished up testing week and there are a few things I think we need to take notice of.
First and foremost let’s talk about speed. Bobby Petrino loves a fast team and that is exactly what he has. We all have witnessed the speed of Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson, but did you know he is not the fastest player on the team (according to 40 times). Lamar ran a 4.34 40 yard dash while Jaire Alexander ran a 4.32. According to the times posted at this years NFL combine, both Lamar and Jaire would have finished in the top 5 of all 40 times. We all assume that U of L’s 40 yard dashes were on the track in the Trager Center and were hand timed unlike the electronically timed 40’s ran on turf in Lucas Oil Stadium. I don’t care if they were run on the moon, those guys are fast and have gotten faster than last year.
Not only did Jaire improve his 40 time, he also set a new record in the shuttle run with a 3.96. Jaire and Cornelius Sturghill tied while setting a new 10 split record in the 40 with a 1.43. Jaire also finished fourth on the team in the vertical jump with a 36.5.
As if the speed numbers were not impressive enough, there were some power numbers worth pointing out. The first two things that caught my eye were the impressive numbers put up by true freshman C.J. Avery and the numbers Drew Bailey posted. C.J. benched 335 and that was good for third best among skill players. C.J. is a physical specimen that you rarely see in a true freshman. Drew finished first of the power guys in the broad jump with 10’0″. He was second on the 40 times with a 4.84. Drew is expected to be a defensive leader on the field this year and it appears that his hard work off the field is already paying dividends.
Other players worth noting are Trevon Young and Reggie Bonnafon. Reggie again had the highest vertical leap on the team with a 40.5. That was down from last years number of 43.5 inches. One can only guess as to why the decrease but I would say he probably added some weight. I’m sure Bobby will tell us at some point. Trevon Young’s name even being in any of these charts is a good sign. His playing situation is still uncertain but it’s worth noting that he was third in the Big Skill guys on the bench press with 385 pounds. If Trevon is ready to go by the season opener, he would be a welcome addition to the defensive pass rush to replace all the talent that has matriculated to the NFL.
So continue to support the basketball teams all the way through the first week of April and be sure to get out to Jim Paterson Stadium to witness history as the Cardinal 9 try to win a national championship. While supporting them, just keep in the back of your mind that the football team is over there putting in work. Spring practice starts March 21st with the Spring game on April 15th.
As always, GO CARDS!
** All pics and charts are from the Louisville Football Twitter page **
